Union Home Minister Amit Shah has expressed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) readiness to hold a special session of Parliament to address the Opposition’s claims of vote theft. Speaking at a BJP state working committee meeting in Lucknow, Shah challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav to present their allegations against the Election Commission in Parliament. He described these accusations as unfounded and criticized the Opposition for favoring street protests over parliamentary debates.
Shah’s statements come in the context of upcoming Opposition demonstrations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The Opposition intends to stage a symbolic public impeachment and a significant protest at Delhi’s Ramlila Ground, citing threats to democratic institutions. Initially, the INDIA bloc planned to hold the symbolic event at Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s residence but postponed it due to unseasonal rain. The Opposition has voiced concerns over the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, arguing it could disadvantage voters and favor the ruling BJP.
In his remarks, Shah also criticized the electoral performance of the Congress and Samajwadi Party, suggesting that their leaders have blamed the Election Commission instead of accepting electoral defeats. He defended the BJP’s political record and accused the Opposition of raising vote theft allegations following their losses in elections.